Sports

Devils end Panthers’ nine-game winning streak with 4-1 win

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Nico Daws stopped 35 shots, Jesper Bratt scored for the second straight game and the Devils snapped Florida’s nine-game winning streak by topping the Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night.

Bratt’s goal was his 16th of the season, tying Tyler Toffoli for the New Jersey lead this season. Alexander Holtz and Erik Haula each got their 10th goal of the season for the Devils, who have gotten 13 of a possible 18 points in their last nine games by going 6-2-1.

Daws improved to 3-0-0 on the road this season. He was making just his fourth appearance of the season for the Devils, who scored the game’s first three goals and sealed it on John Marino’s empty-netter with 18.6 seconds left.

Sam Reinhart got his 31st goal for Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky — announced as an All-Star selection earlier in the day when fan voting was revealed — stopped 18 shots for the Panthers.

Reinhart has 13 goals in his last 10 games and has scored in each of the last six for Florida. Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Montour got the assists on Reinhart’s power-play goal that made it 3-1 late in the second.

Tkachuk’s point streak stretched to eight games; he’s got seven goals and 10 assists in that span.

The nine-game winning streak was the third-longest in any Panthers season, behind only a 13-game run from March 29-April 23, 2022 and a 12-game stretch from Dec. 15, 2015 through Jan. 10, 2016. The Panthers remained No. 2 in the Eastern Conference with the loss, behind only Atlantic Division rival Boston.

The Panthers celebrated Pride Night, which included, among other promotions, several players using pride-themed tape on their sticks for warmups, the national anthem being performed by the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida and the team’s foundation auctioning exclusive Pride jerseys with all proceeds benefiting local South Florida LGBTQ+ organizations.

In 2013, Florida was the first NHL team to play host to a pride night.

UP NEXT

Devils: Visit Boston on Monday afternoon.

Panthers: Host Anaheim on Monday afternoon.